Boards for holding finished cakes are known. A problem with these boards has been that they have not been capable of accepting a cake fresh from the oven. In other words, it is common in the art to bake a cake, place it on a cooling rack, and then transfer the cooled cake to a cakeboard for finishing. (Finishing a cake can entail adding layers and/or icing.)
Thus, it is another problem in the art that placing a cake onto a cooling rack after baking, instead of directly onto a cakeboard, means an additional handling step in the preparation of a cake. This additional handling step means a loss of efficiency in cake preparation.
Further, this additional handling step provides yet a further problem in the art; namely, potential for damage to the cake prior to finishing it, and consequential losses therefrom. For instance, if a cake is broken while being transferred from the cooling rack to the cakeboard, the baker may have to scrap the cake and bake it again, meaning a loss of time and materials and therefore a loss of revenue.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a cakeboard which can directly accept a cake--fresh from the oven--to address any or all of the problems in the art.
In addition, a cakeboard which can directly accept a cake--fresh from the oven--provides additional advantages over that which has come before. For instance, instead of having to purchase cooling racks and cakeboards, the baker need only purchase the inventive cakeboard, providing an economic advantage; namely, that only one board--used by both the baker and the ultimate consumer--need be purchased by the baker for holding the cake after it is baked. Further, since only one board need be used, the present invention can provide ecological advantages, e.g., reduced waste, since only one board, rather than a board and a cooling rack, need be used.
Reference is made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,867,303, 4,776,459 and 4,389,315 and to the following listed documents, incorporated herein by reference, which either individually, or in any combination, fail to teach or suggest the present invention:
U.S. PAT. NO. INVENTOR 491,977 Bingham 1,301,197 Tully 1,781,302 Roberts 2,297,914 Pino 2,407,118 Waters 3,054,703 Brasure 3,127,828 Fine 3,347,181 Pizzo 3,406,052 Peters 3,411,433 Christopher 4,262,050 Jenkins 4,391,833 Self et al. 4,418,119 Morrow et al. 4,441,626 Hall 4,452,356 Dahl 4,950,524 Hacker 5,482,724 Morici et al. 5,565,228 Gics 5,609,293 Wu et al. 5,613,427 Wiley 5,698,295 Benner et al.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,356 to Dahl illustrates, in FIG. 1, a cakeboard or base 10 having a corrugated cardboard layer coated on its upper surface with plastic material 10a. In contrast to the present invention, no perforations are present and the cakeboard is not specifically used to dissipate or transmit heat.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,441,626 to Hall, 5,482,724 to Morici et al. and 5,565,228 to Gics relate to corrugated paperboard inserts or trays for use in pizza boxes. In the Morici et al. patent, FIGS. 1-3 show a generally flat pizza tray made of corrugated paperboard and including on its upper surface a parchment-like coating. Note that the paperboard is also provided with a plurality of linear, elongated slots therethrough to facilitate the capture of moisture and juices exuded by the pizza. However, in contrast to the present invention, there does not appear to be any teaching or suggestion of the perforations in the present invention or their particular use.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,054,703 to Brasure is directed to a laminated structure and process for making, in which a cardboard base (see column 1, line 43) is adhesively bonded to a PET web. The laminate is useful as a protective covering for thermal insulation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,119 to Morrow et al. provides an ovenable bakery food board comprising a paperboard base coated with polyvinyl alcohol and a silicone. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,406,052 to Peters, 4,262,050 to Jenkins, 5,609,293 to Wu et al. and 5,698,295 to Benner et al. relate to corrugated boards including at least a protective polymer film or layer on at least one of its faces. The patent to Peters, in particular, provides a method of making the corrugated board/plastic laminate by extruding the plastic layer onto the corrugated board. However, in contrast to the present invention, these patents do not appear to teach or suggest the perforations in the present invention or their particular use.
U.S. Pat. No. 491,977 to Bingham is directed to a cooling board having perforations which is specifically used for cooling baker products (e.g., bread) after baking. However, there does not appear to be any teaching or suggestion of the board being a corrugated board with a grease and/or moisture and/or heat resistant layer, e.g., a foil or PET layer.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,407,118 to Waters, 3,411,433 to Christopher and 5,613,427 to Wiley relate to baking pans or liners per se of multilayer construction. The Waters patents provides, in one embodiment, a baking pan make of cardboard laminated with metal foil. Christopher's patent provides a baking container having three laminated layers, namely a top perforated foil layer, a bottom layer of imperforate foil, and a center layer of mesh material designed to entrap air and to absorb grease and moisture flowing during baking through the perforations of the first layer. Wiley's patent (see FIGS. 11 and 12) provides a pan liner in which a thermoplastic layer (having perforations thereon) is bonded to a cellulosic fiber layer (also having perforations therethrough). However, in contrast to the present invention, there does not appear to be any teaching or suggestion in these patents of a corrugated board with a grease and/or moisture and/or heat resistant layer, e.g., a foil or PET layer and perforations as in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,301,197 to Tully is directed to a culinary utensil provided with a corrugated base and a perforated, substantially planar member overlying the base. There does not appear to be any teaching or suggestion in this patent of a corrugated board with a grease and/or moisture and/or heat resistant layer, e.g., a foil or PET layer and perforations as in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,781,302 to Roberts and 2,297,914 to Pino provide pie or baking pans per se incorporated with ventilating apertures. However, in contrast to the present invention, there does not appear to be any teaching or suggestion in these patents of a corrugated board with a grease and/or moisture and/or heat resistant layer, e.g., a foil or PET layer and perforations as in the present invention.
And, as to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,867,303, 4,776,459 and 4,389,315. The lattermost patent appears directed to a filter device, whereas the first two patents are related to each other and pertain to a bakery foods package which can include a base from corrugated board provided with an upper foil layer. However, there does not appear to be any teaching or suggestion of the perforations as in the present invention.
Accordingly, not only would it be desirable to provide a cakeboard which can directly accept a cake--fresh from the oven--to address any or all of the problems in the art, as in the present invention, it is believed that heretofore the art has not provided, taught or suggested a cakeboard or methods for making or using a cakeboard, as in the present invention.